Volodin urged Russians not to complain about the fuel shortage
Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the Russian State Duma, urged Russians not to complain about fuel shortages and stated that “unity” should be the top priority right now. According to him, any criticism of the authorities allegedly means that a person is “switching sides.”
The statement came amid reports of gasoline shortages in some regions of Russia. Volodin said that in difficult situations, citizens should show support for the state rather than express dissatisfaction. “The most important thing is unity. The most important thing is a shared understanding. And anyone who wavers—well, consider them to have already switched sides,” he said.
In effect, the official called on Russians not to question the government’s actions even in the face of everyday problems, particularly those related to fuel availability. Gasoline shortages in Russia have recently become a prominent topic of discussion. Some regions have reported supply disruptions for certain types of fuel and rising prices.
Instead of explaining the reasons behind the situation, Volodin emphasized the need to “consolidate” society. He stated that dissatisfaction or criticism could be a sign of insufficient support for the state. His remarks sparked a wave of online discussion, as instead of solving the fuel problem, the official effectively suggested that citizens simply refrain from voicing their complaints. This is reported by Russian media.
The gasoline shortage in Russia is beginning to spread to Central Asia, prompting Kyrgyzstan to ask Azerbaijan and other countries to ensure stable supplies of petroleum products, while Uzbekistan is seeing rising fuel prices.
Earlier, the Russian presidential administration sent special “recommendations” to state-run and pro-government media outlets regarding how exactly to report on the fuel shortage in the country.
The fuel crisis is also intensifying in Russia: gasoline is disappearing from gas stations and lines are growing longer.
Russia has allowed the use of lower-quality gasoline due to the fuel crisis.
